The present invention relates in general to a seating apparatus for paraplegics and quadraplegics for the purpose of relieving pressure in the gluteal area and preventing the development of pressure sores caused by prolonged periods of sitting. The present invention consists of a cushion and a sling attachment system, which allows attachment of the entire apparatus to the person. Although the cushion mounted to the sling attachment represents the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cushion may also be used independently. It is especially well suited for use over car and airplane seats as well as racing wheelchairs.
Paraplegics and quadraplegics are extremely susceptible to the risk of severe pressure sores. This is due primarily to the fact that, unlike able-bodied persons, they must spend most of their time in a seated position and they cannot feel the cut-off of blood flow. Prolonged periods of sitting increase the rate of atrophy, thereby exaggerating the protrusion of boney prominences and increasing the pressure on the three bony prominences (i.e., the two ischial tuberosities and the coccyx) in posterior regions of the body. Whereas capillary blood pressures are only 40 mm Hg, normal sitting on hard or even somewhat softer surfaces may create pressures of up to 200 mm Hg, thereby causing pressure sores to develop in a matter of a few hours. The severity of these pressure sores can be appreciated considering that just fifty years ago, they represented the second most frequent cause of death in paraplegics. In addition to the serious health risk, surgical treatment of pressure sores is expensive, averaging $69,000 per treatment.
Prior art has established cushions which considerably diminish the risk of pressure sores in wheelchair users. One such patent is the Jay U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,229, which has the potential of lowering pressures to tolerable capillary blood pressure levels. As a result, there has been a marked decrease in the number of pressure sores suffered by wheelchair users. However, as successful as these cushions have been in normal wheelchair use, the recent increased participation of paraplegics in everyday activities outside the wheelchair requires a more flexible, lightweight and versatile seat cushion. Existing wheelchair cushions have proved to be inadequate for these purposes, as they are either too clumsy for a paraplegic to manuever or too thick to be used in car or restaurant seats, for example. As a result, the absence of a more portable, lightweight cushion has prevented many paraplegics from fully participating in such recreational activities as canoeing, kayaking and horseback riding, or even in the more basic activities, such as sitting or sliding across the floor, for fear of developing pressure sores.
In addition, there has been no way for a paraplegic to protect himself while moving outside his wheelchair. He could only accomplish this by pulling his cushion out from under himself, moving the cushion a few feet, transferring on to it, resting, and then moving the cushion again. This is a slow and cumbersome process that discourages movement outside the wheelchair--or even worse, results in dragging one's self across the floor without protection, thus creating pressure and shearing sores.
Prior to this invention, there has been no practical way for a paraplegic to protect his skin while moving outside his wheelchair. This protection is needed for a variety of activities, including climbing steps, crawling into the wheelchair, getting to inaccessible rooms, climbing into kayaks or racing wheelchairs, camping, horseback riding and numerous other activities in which paraplegics simply have not been able to protect their skin adequately.
It is the further object of this invention to provide stability while sitting on the floor. Unstable sitting among paraplegics is created by two factors
1. boney ischial tuberosities which result in 2-point sitting with uneven weight distribution; and
2. lack of lower back muscle control.